A half-classical, half-anything blog written by a couple of guys with way too much music.

Sunday, March 26, 2006

Shostakovich Quartets Two and Three

These string quartets, written within two years of each other (1944 and 1946), are amazing examples of Shostakovich (Right, not to be confused with Harry Potter) in his prime. He was churning out amazing works like the piano trio around this time, and sadly, these early quartets are underappreciated, but in many ways, they are equals to his eighth and tenth. The quartets can be seen as reflections on World War II. The second movement of the second quartet is especially mournful and powerful; the long droning chords of the lower strings remind me of the chilling third movement of Bela Bartok's fourth quartet.

looks like it is a 3-way tie between tchaikovsky, wagner, and liszt....

considering the amount i have by tchaikovsky, i'd be surprised to find anything new--but i would be happy if he "won". tchaikovsky's ballet music--particularly Sleeping Beauty--cannot be beat. i have at least 4 versions of that ballet, and usually 2 or 3 others of the rest. (if tchaikovsky wins out, i hope you'll consider posting Russian versions of most the famous works over British or American conductors--if you need help, you can figure out how to reach me)

i think i'll go with the liszt. i'd be interested in seeing what pops up.